At certain moments in your job search it can seem like you are making no
progress; potential employers are not available to speak with,
recruiters are not able to provide information, no feedback and no
prospects seems to be the status quo.

This is the time when holding to your goal with positive determination
in your mind can seem the most difficult thing to do, and it is the time
when it is most important to remember your successes and renew your
purpose, daily.

The fact is that you have a lot to offer your next employer. Your
experience, your skills, your character and your personality are being
strengthened through this time of testing; you will prevail and you will
find what you are seeking.

Remember that adversity lasts only for a time. Eventually, the clouds
lift and the sun shines again. Turn for support to the ideas and words
of those people who have weathered tough times and found within
themselves the means to persevere towards achieving their goals.

The mental image that you hold of yourself can be nourished through
reflecting on the wisdom of those who experienced similar trials and
tribulations. There is value in reviewing inspirational quotations and
writers whose philosophy and intentions are to help people connect with
their inner strengths.

While we cannot control everything that happens to us in our lives, we
can control how we react to those circumstances, events and conditions.
It is important to renew every day the belief in yourself and your
goals. See yourself making the connections that you need to; visualize
yourself gladly accepting your new offer of employment, picture yourself
getting ready to start new employment with a revitalized sense of
purpose.

This mental training reflects what successful athletes do when they are
in training or preparing for an important performance. They train
themselves mentally, practicing in their minds the body movements and
attitudes required to be a successful competitor. They create muscle
memories through repetitive actions, strengthening both their bodies and
their sense of purpose. This increases their drive and motivation to
overcome the obstacles to actualizing their dreams.

The same techniques can be applied to the process of searching for the
right job; doing those repetitive actions which are in line with your
goals of finding the right job. You are creating mental patterns of
thinking and raising your expectations, putting faith back into your
efforts.

The Chinese put this type of perseverance and mental toughness
concisely: "Fall down seven times, get up eight".

Winston Churchill said it more colorfully: "When you find yourself going
through hell, keep going."

Thomas Edison had his own take when he was trying to discover the right
materials to use for the incandescent light bulb: " I have not failed
10,000 times, I have merely discovered 10,000 ways that do not work."

The common theme is to persevere through disappointment and rejection,
choosing to see yourself getting closer to your goal with every
situation that does not turn in your favour, internalizing the idea that
the right job for you is out there and will happen for you at the right
time and in the right way. This is believing in yourself and accepting
the time required for the right opportunity to develop for your specific
needs.

This power of positive affirmation and reminding yourself of what you
want to achieve helps you to sustain your faith in your efforts when
things appear to be at a standstill.

It is hard to see what is on the horizon if we are staring at the
ground. Move forward with your vision fixed on the future and the new
conditions that you want to have in your life, act every day towards
achieving them; believe in yourself and others will also.